Immigration & Expansion in Antebellum America

The Nation Grows Again!APUSH

A New Wave of Immigrants• “Original” vs “Old” vs “New” vs “Current”• “Old” Immigrants

– 5 million between 1815-1860 • ¾ Irish or German (approx 3.75 million)

– America = Economic Utopia?• Cheap land• But little money…

• #1 Irish – Arrived NE, settled cities– Homogenous

• #2 Germans– Arrived So., settled MS/OH River Valleys– Diverse people group– Commonalities

American Response• Anti-Catholicism

– Protestant vs. Catholic history– Despotism vs Democracy?

• Nativism– Political/Secret societies– Labor Issues

• Took jobs• High unionization rate• Commonwealth vs. Hunt

Immigrant Politics & the Democratic Party

Whigs

Aristocratic image

Abolition

Temperance

Pro-school reform

Democrats

Sympathetic to common man (a la AJ), therefore sympathetic to immigrants

Irish feared freed slaves would become economic rivals

Both Germans & Irish were traditionally “hearty” drinking

Public schools seen as threat to the teaching of “Catholicness”

Democratic Agenda• Inculcation of Immigrants

– Newspapers, picnics, parades– Result: party line…

• Manifest Destiny– John O’ Sullivan, 1845 newspaper editorial – Verbalized sentiment of gov’t policies– Tyler’s 1844 bid for the presidency

• Explicit program of expansion; called for re-annexation of TX and re-occupation of OR

Territorial Expansion: Texas• TX Revolution/Independence, 1836-37

– MX encouragement of settlement• Empressarios

– MX Gov’t overthrow; 1834 by Santa Anna• Rebellions or “civil war”?

– Texan Independence• Remember the Alamo• 1837 Independence

• US Annexation, 1845– Dem Agenda– Election of 1844: Tyler → Polk

Territorial Expansion: Oregon

• Question of Ownership– Joint US-GB ownership since 1818– Columbia River Triangle prize?

• Polk’s Ultimatum– 49th Parallel or “54’ 40” or Fight”?– Send in the troops…– Treaty of 1846: GB Cessation

• Afterward: The Pig War

US-Mexican War, 1846-1848

• Causes– Texas “ownership”?– Border dispute

• Push for War• California…• The War…• Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo

Results• The issues of expansion & slavery rose to

political forefront in American politics…– Had the Missouri Compromise truly “settled”

the issue? – What about now that the US had gained so

much “southern” land?– What about the fact that California didn’t have

slavery?

Reflection Qs

1. Who did each of the two parties appeal to and why?

2. Explain the US rationale for wanting control over Oregon, Texas & California.

3. Detail two things that you learned that were interesting &/or that you will remember easily a month from now.